


Winded

by blameless_nameless



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Canonical Character Death, Gen, M/M, Minor Character Death, Rating May Change, Slow Build, outdated slang, suffer my children suffer, who knows what to expect lmao
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-10
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2018-03-29 22:54:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3913717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blameless_nameless/pseuds/blameless_nameless
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a tornado destroys their high school, Eren, Armin, and Mikasa's quiet lives are forcibly uprooted in a matter of minutes. The surviving students are transferred to a nearby high school, where they attempt to put the pieces of their lives back together. There, the trio meets the Natty-Rose Newspaper Club, lead by president, editor, and professional hell-raiser Levi Ackerman. Through their involvement, they soon learn that there is much more to the club than meets the eye.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How the fuck am I supposed to tag this?? Titles are a thing?? What a terrible summary?? I tried ★  
> This is the biggest story I've ever planned to write, I think. Like, wow. This thing is gonna last forever, jesus.  
> Let me know if I fucked up somewhere, or if there are any other words that you'd like to send my direction. ??  
> Find me on [Tumblr!](http://staplesfics.tumblr.com)
> 
> Have some sarcasm and suffering, my children *tosses glitter into the air*

Their lives didn’t begin the day they were born. Their lives began on a stormy day in late summer. It was their second year of high school, and their days were spent simply – chatting in class, “forgetting” to do their homework, and ditching P.E. to have lunch at the sandwich place across the street.

Looking back, all that seemed rather silly.

The rain pounded on the windows of Eren’s History classroom. His teacher was droning on about some war or another, but Eren just ignored her, opting instead to gaze through the glass at the gray world outside. The wind whistled and whipped branches back and forth. At the start of class, the rain was light enough that it would make patterns on the glass, but it had since picked up, so many heavy droplets smashing into the window that they became a steady stream. Now, all that could be seen of the world outside were colors smeared across the window, saturated greens and grays that never took form.

Eren heard a sigh from behind him. He turned to throw an inquisitive glance toward the seat’s occupant, his closest friend, Armin.

“No chicken melt today, I guess,” he muttered, his disappointment apparent. He sure loved those chicken melts. “There’s no way we’re getting across the street in all this.”

Eren hummed in response. “Someone should text Mikasa.”

Mikasa was Eren’s sister – well, adopted sister. But she’d been with Eren’s family since they were both barely out of diapers, so Eren couldn’t remember a day without her. She could be a bit overprotective, but they got along well, and she really cared for Armin, too, so they’d been inseparable since they met him in kindergarten. They were a trio, till the end.

“I texted her last time,” Armin whispered, not bothering to keep an eye on their teacher. As long as they were quiet, she wouldn’t pay them any mind.

Eren turned to Armin with a huge grin spread across his face and pressed a finger to the tip of his nose. “Nose goes!”

“Eat shit, asshole. It’s your turn!”

Eren chuckled and rolled his eyes in submission and pulled his phone from his pocket to send a message to Mikasa.

“Ah,” he said, tapping his screen absently. “She beat us to it – oh.”

Armin perked up slightly in his seat. “Eren? What is it?”

“She says there’s a tornado warning or some shit. People are saying we’re gonna get out early.”

Looking around the classroom, you could tell. The news had apparently gotten around to everyone, because the whole room erupted into restless energy. Their teacher finally accepted that she’d lost her class. She called for them to settle down, pay attention, they’re in the middle of class. But someone had started the ball rolling, and now everyone was staring at the teacher expectantly, asking what she knew, waiting for an announcement.

“You all have been on your phones all period – you certainly know more than I do,” she said exasperatedly. “We’ll know more if there’s an announcement. Until then, let’s return to Serbia and Archduke Ferdinand, hm?”

Before the class could let out a collective groan, three strong chimes fell through the speaker above the whiteboard, and the room went silent.

“Faculty and students, please proceed to your designated storm safety area and await further information.”

The announcement went on, but nobody listened. In one movement, the entire class gathered their things and stood, chatting animatedly about getting out of class, and maybe going home early. All around him, Eren heard other students making afternoon plans – movies, coffee, late lunch – anything really, as long as it wasn’t school. He turned to Armin to do the same, only to find his friend white as a sheet, staring at him with wide, panic-filled eyes.

“Whoa. A-Armin?” Eren muttered, grabbing his shoulder roughly. “C’mon, dude, let’s go. It’s nothing to worry about! We have storm warnings all the time.”

Armin evidently wasn’t listening to a word Eren was saying. He managed to get them moving toward the door, but Armin was visibly shaking.

“Okay, okay, um,” Eren said to himself, trying to figure out how to get control of his frightened friend. “Ah! Let’s find Mikasa, yeah? And we can wait this out together."

Armin nodded but didn’t look reassured. “Something feels off today, Eren. I was trying to ignore it, but I think–“

Eren cut him off before he could say any more. “We’ll find Mikasa.”

But Mikasa found them. Typical. She was never more than a stone’s throw away when there was trouble. Eren never even had time to feel afraid before she showed up.

He threw her a confused look – weren’t they supposed to stay with their classes? Mikasa answered before he could ask.

“Mr. Albright said I could come sit with you guys, since we’re in the same area.”

Sure enough, when he looked across the wide, windowless hallway, Mr. Albright’s trig class was huddled together against a nearby wall. Mr. Albright watched long enough to see that Mikasa really did come find us, then turned to address the rest of his class.

Eren’s gaze returned to his sister. She jerked her chin toward Armin, asking the obvious question.

“He says something’s off today,” he hissed in response, even though he was sure Armin was too scared to be listening. “He’s really freaked out.”

“I can see that, idiot.”

Eren rolled his eyes at her. “ _You_ asked. Anyway,” he continued, sliding his hand from Armin’s back to his side, for better steering. “Wanna help me get him settled somewhere?”

Mikasa immediately took his other side, arm crossing under Eren’s on Armin’s back. With her help, they made their way to the thick cement wall and helped Armin to the ground. He slumped against the wall, tight, white fists resting on his knees. Neither of the other two needed more signal than that. They each grabbed one of his fists, working them open and sliding their own fingers into his. His shoulders seemed to loosen at that, and he heaved a shaky sigh before falling absolutely silent. Eren and Mikasa followed his example, listening carefully to the hall around them, searching for the buzz of a radio, or some teacher’s whisper for some clue about the state of the world outside, hopefully good news, for Armin’s sake.

They spent a good thirty minutes that way, squeezing Armin’s hands and listening, listening. Finally, they heard it. They didn’t catch the words, but the tone of repressed panic in the voice of one of the teachers was all they needed. Eren and Mikasa shared a worried look and squeezed Armin’s hands tighter. Soon after, the next announcement came, telling them to assume the protective position.

Without hesitation, Eren and Mikasa set to helping Armin turn over. He was hardly breathing, but once they got him turned over, he stuffed his head between his legs and locked his fingers behind his neck. Eren thought he heard him muttering _I knew it, I knew it, I knew it_ to himself, but tried not to listen.

Mikasa tapped his shoulder gently. “You want a book, Armin?”

He nodded abruptly and secured Mikasa’s trig textbook over his neck. The other two exchanged one last glance before hooking their arms through Armin’s and crouching to cover their own necks.

They stayed like that for a few long minutes. Many students were getting impatient, raising their heads to complain only to find that their teachers, too, were huddled against the wall, protecting their own necks. Their walkie-talkies all buzzed simultaneously and some administrator muttered something Eren couldn’t make out. Mr. Albright raised his head to address all the students in that area.

“Brace yourselves, kids. Despite what some of you seem to think, this is _not_ a drill.” He paused. “I’ll see you on the other side.”

Just as he returned to the floor, a sound like a freight train filled their ears, rattling skulls and chests alike. Eren heard a few girls scream, and Armin whimpered beside him. Eren fought down his own fear in favor of squeezing closer to his best friend. On Armin’s other side, he heard Mikasa muttering reassurances to the air. _We’ll be okay, we’ll make it through this, keep it together, we’ll be fine._ Eren guessed it was as much for her benefit as it was for his and Armin’s.

Behind them, Eren heard the telltale cracks and bangs of destruction. It sounded like the school was being torn to shreds. But he could be wrong. He couldn’t be sure.

Just then, the sound went from loud to deafening as cement blocks and ceiling tiles were torn away from the building around them. Eren felt the wind tugging at his limbs, tugging at his friend. He tightened the arm he’d thread through Armin’s. _We’ll be okay, we’ll make it through this, **we’ll be okay.**_

It only lasted a few minutes. The freight train moved along its path, further and further from their spot in the hallway. It seemed so much smaller now. Rain fell heavy on their backs, and one by one, heads rose from the floor. Armin stayed down, but Eren and Mikasa lifted themselves from the ground, untangling their arms, and resting their hands on Armin’s back, sweaty, shaking palms finding each other and wordlessly pressing together, fingers entwined.

The hall was not what it was when they put their heads down. It was dark, wet, and crumbling. A few pieces of shattered cement fell at random intervals. Tiles had been torn up, and most of the ceiling was missing. Eren wondered idly what the damage was like in the parts of the building with two floors. Was the entire second story blown off? He craned his neck out of dumb curiosity, knowing full well that he couldn’t see from where he was.

Beside him, he heard Mikasa gasp and whisper his name. It was only then that Eren really looked. Most of the group in their hallway came out mostly unscathed. The ones that didn’t…

Eren slammed his eyes shut. Mikasa kept staring, but he'd had enough with one glance. The survivors knew they were lucky – abundantly so. It was like a game of roulette, and they just had to hope they ended up in a safe spot. They couldn’t have done anything to change their fate.

A handful of full cinder blocks had been torn from the walls during the storm. They had been pulled down not only by gravity, but by the sheer force of the wind. Anyone who was crouched in their path was just unlucky. Very, very unlucky. Some got away with broken ribs and the like. Some…

Eren made himself look in the direction from which he’d heard Mr. Albright just before the winds tore everything apart, hoping to hear his strong voice send reassurances down the hallway. Eren’s hopes were immediately crushed. Mr. Albright was still crouched in the same spot by the wall, a cement block in the space his head had been occupying, uselessly guarded by his hands.

A handful of others had suffered a similar fate. Beside their bodies, their companions were screaming, their voices somehow louder than the storm.

The remaining faculty made some attempt to gather everyone in the center of the hallway, away from the scattered few bodies. Most of the students followed, Eren and Mikasa included, walking slowly with Armin hanging on their arms, all three of them wholly and utterly exhausted. Some didn’t move, though. They stayed beside their fallen friends and just cried.

No one really knew what to do, so they all just held each other in silence until help came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're welcome. ;)
> 
> This is really the only violent-type shit I'm planning at this point, so if this didn't bother you too much, you should be fine. I just. I feel like the warning was necessary? I guess. I mean tornadoes throwing things around and killing people is pretty scary shit, so I guess I made the right decision there... Whatever. It's my story, dammit.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, sorry, still no Levi, lmao. Wasn't kidding when I said this'd be long. And that slow build tag's no joke either. You fuckers are in for a looooong ride. But everyone else will show up soon, I promise!  
> Talk to me, tell me if I've fucked up, all the usual stuff.  
> I'm on [Tumblr!](http://staplesfics.tumblr.com)

“Sir? Sir, can you tell me your name?”

Eren’s mind was racing. Of _course_ he could tell them his name, but how could that be _anyone’s_ priority at that moment? He squeezed his arms tighter around the warm masses in his arms, chin resting on tangled blonde hair, and didn’t speak. One of the masses moved in his arms and gripped his shirt in its fingers.

“He’s Eren Jaeger,” the soft voice said, and Eren finally came back to reality enough to recognize her. “I’m Mikasa Ackerman-Jaeger, and this is Armin Arlert.”

The man scribbled on a clipboard and thanked her. “Are any of you injured? Did anything hit you?”

Eren froze, the image of a cement block in the place of Mr. Albright’s head flashing behind his stricken eyes. He tried to blink the image away, but his eyes just burned.

“No, we’re f—“ Mikasa’s voice broke. She cleared her throat and tried again. “We’re fine.”

The man nodded and reminded them to let the nurses check them before they left, just to be sure. Then he moved on to the next group huddled together in the rain.

None of them spoke. They just clung to each other and waited, trying to steady their breath and calm their minds. Armin had the toughest time of that. He still muttered to himself occasionally, his head buried in Eren’s shoulder and his hand resting stiffly in Mikasa’s. His face was wet, but Eren couldn’t tell if it was from the rain or from his tears. He decided he didn’t want to know anyway.

From there, it was just a matter of waiting. Someone went around distributing ponchos, and the rain slowed and stopped not long after.

Soon, parents started to arrive. Parked their cars haphazardly, jumped out of driver’s-side doors, and rushed into the destruction for their children. Some were relieved, some were devastated. Every one pulled their child into a tight hug, every one shed tears.

Eren, Armin, and Mikasa waited, watching for familiar cars that they knew belonged to their parents. Mr. Albright’s daughter came. She didn’t cry, at least not in front of the nurses and her father’s body. But Eren noticed that she sat in her car for a while before leaving. He tried not to dwell on that.

At last, their wait came to an end as something vibrated in Eren’s front pocket. He froze for a minute, dazed and confused by the foreign feeling, then pulled the vibrating thing out of his pocket. It was his phone. He felt Armin and Mikasa lean in to squint at the screen, where the word _Dad_ appeared with sharp, blinding light. He pressed the little green icon and raised the phone to his ear, trying to suppress his shivering.

“H-hello?” he mumbled, the distress evident in his voice.

“Eren? Is that you?” the voice began. His father’s voice. “Are you hurt? Mikasa’s okay, right? And… Armin. How’s he?”

“We’re fine, yeah.”

“Are you all together right now? Is Armin with you?”

Talking to his father, answering his questions – helped him regain himself. “Yeah, they’re both here.”

“Then stay together. I’m on my way.” Eren wanted to hang up there, but his father stayed on the line, like he had something more to say. After a pause, he asked, “Has Armin been in contact with his parents?”

“N – he’s nonfunctional, Dad.”

“I thought that might be the case.” He let out a long sigh, muffled through the receiver. “He’s coming home with us. I left his folks a voicemail.”

Eren just said okay. They exchanged ‘I love you’s and hung up their phones. Mikasa reminded them that they were supposed to check in with the nurses before they left. They were given a cursory check – no major wounds or broken bones – then the nurses sent them off to check the next group. Armin clung to Eren the whole time. Tucked himself under Eren’s arm and stayed there until a familiar gray sedan pulled up next to the curb in front of them. Eren’s father emerged and rested an arm on the roof of the car to watch them. He made a motion with his hand to tell Eren to sit in the front. So while Mikasa helped Armin slide into the back, Eren dropped himself in the front seat and set his gaze on his father, waiting for him to speak. He threw a worried look at the boy behind him and started the car. Turned on the heat, then the radio. Lowered his voice to speak to Eren as he drove.

“I can’t get in contact with Armin’s parents.”

Eren didn’t understand. He’d already told him that. “But you left a voicemail, right? So. They’ll hear that. Right?”

“Eren, I think–“ He stopped. Took a deep breath. Tried again. “I’ve been watching the radar, and… The university was right in the storm’s path. I don’t know if…”

Eren turned his head slightly, just enough to see the huddled mass in the backseat. Armin’s head rested heavily on Mikasa’s shoulder. Mikasa had one hand in Armin’s tangled hair and one on his back, running up and down his spine, then in circles, then up and down again. Her eyes were closed, brows pulled together in the middle, and she was whispering something in his ear. Reassurances, probably. Eren thought he heard the word _brave_ in there somewhere. His father’s voice pulled him back.

“Don’t say a word to either of them. Not until we know something for sure.”

Eren nodded. Thought that was probably a good idea. Turned forward to stare out the windshield as they turned into the Jaeger’s neighborhood. Eren had hoped that they could find some solace here, but the destruction still followed them. It wasn’t as bad as the school, but many of the houses were uninhabitable. Eren’s father took it all in. He was really good in stressful situations. He always seemed to know what to do, and this was no exception. He stopped the car just before turning onto their street. Turned in his seat to face Eren and Mikasa.

“Stay in the car,” he said. The look in his eyes told them that was not a request. “I’ll be back soon.”

They waited in absolute silence for over half an hour before he returned. When he did, he looked significantly more exhausted than he had when he left. He was dragging his feet, and his face was gaunt, like he’d aged a decade in less than an hour. But he was carrying two large bags, packed to bursting with whatever he’d managed to salvage. He dropped the bags in the trunk and himself in the seat beside Eren. He only half-turned to Mikasa to tell her that none of it was hers. The hallway leading to her room was blocked off by debris. He gripped the wheel tightly and muttered his apology to the logo in the center. Mikasa, still wrapped around Armin, assured him that it was fine, it didn’t matter, it was just stuff. He didn’t look convinced, but he nodded and started the engine.

They drove for a long time. First, to get out of the area impacted by the storm. Then, to find a hotel. They stopped at several before finding one with a vacancy.

Their room was on the second floor. It was pretty standard. Bathroom, TV, two beds. The first thing they did was shower. Mikasa first, Eren’s dad last. He’d managed to find some dry clothes in their house, and Eren thought that might be the best thing he could’ve done. Having the comfort of clean clothes made him feel almost normal.

The TV was on the local news channel. Eren only pretended to watch, leaning back against the pillows on the bed by the window. His eyelids were starting to feel heavy. He turned to look at the other bed, where Armin and Mikasa had already burrowed under the blankets to sleep, arms wrapped loosely around each other. Eren had wanted to stay awake until his dad got back from the laundry room, but it was starting to seem impossible. So he sank lower into the mattress and fell asleep almost immediately.

When he woke up, the room was still dark. Must be the middle of the night. Eren noticed a weight on the other side of the bed that wasn’t there when he fell asleep, and the TV was off. His dad came back, then. That was good. Everything seemed to be at peace, so Eren closed his eyes again, adjusted his hips. He was no more than a few minutes from sleep, but he heard a noise across the room. The sound someone makes when they’re crying and trying to be quiet about it. Armin.

Immediately, Eren slid out from under his blankets to go to Armin. This kind of thing had happened before. He was just prone to anxiety. He tried so hard to be quiet, to not bother anyone, to not need anyone to comfort him, but he was always relieved when someone noticed. He shook when Eren lifted the blankets. He probably thought Eren was asleep.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to surprise you,” Eren whispered into the darkness. Armin mumbled something unintelligible in reply.

They lay there in the dark, buried deep under the blankets, Armin curled in on himself, and Eren’s arm over his waist next to Mikasa’s. Armin was plainly too tense to sleep. Eren pressed his hand flat against Armin’s back, between his shoulder blades, pressing his fingers into the muscles there.

“You need to breathe, Armin.” Eren felt him tense up even more. “You won’t disturb Mikasa. You won’t wake her up. Just try to breathe.”

Eren kept whispering to Armin for a while, rubbing his back, tried not to show how desperate he was to calm him. Eventually, his muscles started to loosen, his limbs relaxed, and his breathing was still labored, but at least steady. Armin uncurled himself to pull Eren closer, and Eren gladly complied.

“There you go,” he whispered into the top of Armin’s head. “It’s all over now. We’re safe. We’re okay. You can rest now.”

He felt Armin nod against his chest. Then he waited. Refused to sleep until Armin did. When he did, all he could sense was the rise and fall of his friend and sister’s chests and the smell of cheap hotel shampoo in their hair.

That was how Eren’s father found them the next morning, pressed close to each other under the blankets, Armin sandwiched in the middle, and at least for the moment, they finally looked at peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe they'll be happy again one day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like the transitions in this whole chapter are just so... off. Somehow. Idfk.  
> What I _do_ know is that Armin is a complete and total badass and I missed Armin Day, so this'll have to make up for it. Because he's really rad.  
>  Also I changed Levi's character a little bit. Teenaged Levi has much more energy than adult Levi (and to be honest, I only put that "icy" shit in there to balance the sentence whoops). It just seemed very out of place in a high school, especially when there's so much potential for banter! *clenches fist* He's still a little rough around the edges, though~  
> Um, anyway yeah
> 
> I'm on [Tumblr](http://staplesfics.tumblr.com)!

It was inevitable. That conversation. The one none of them wanted to have. The one they had to have. The weight of _the thing that’s missing_ grew heavier and heavier. Eren watched Grisha’s spirit drain more and more by the day. Watched Mikasa try and fail to speak, to ask. Watched Armin, drowning in uncertainty and guilt. Watched his own expressionless face in the bathroom mirror.

Where would they even begin?

But it was coming. They all felt it. They all knew it. It was just a matter of someone taking the first step. Mikasa took that bullet.

One night, after they’d eaten what they could of their dinner, she laid down her paper plate and stared straight into Grisha’s eyes. Her voice wavered, but her resolve didn’t. She kept it simple.

“You know the question.”

Everyone froze. The air between the four of them grew even more tense, somehow. Eren pressed his back into the side of the bed and stared at his knees, listening closely from his spot on the carpet. Grisha took in a deep breath and turned to Armin to ask for the room. He muttered something about getting some air, then fled the room for the relative comfort of the hallway.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Grisha fell to his knees in front of Eren. Heavy tears fell silently on the carpet and the backs of his hands. Words fell from his mouth, burst frantically from his chest.

“I couldn’t say - I couldn’t do that to you, it’s -“ he balled his hands into tight fists, knuckles digging into the floor. “You can only handle so much, you’re - you’re _children_ , for god’s sake, you need _time_ to process these things!”

Mikasa sunk to the floor beside Eren. Kissed his hand and cradled it in hers. Pressed into his shoulder.

“I couldn’t take it alone much longer. Thank god you asked. Thank god you asked. I can’t-- I don’t-- I f-found her in the house. The debris--” His next words were nearly inaudible. “Just tore her apart.”

“And you’ve just been… keeping it all to yourself?” Eren croaked incredulously.

“You’d been through enough.”

“Dad,” Eren rasped around the lump in his throat. He wanted to argue, wanted to scream. He didn’t. Took a deep breath then forced it out. Lifted himself forward and fell into his father’s chest, clutching handfuls of his shirt so tightly his fingers turned white. Buried his face in his shoulder, and felt his father do the same. Mikasa joined them, and the three of them sat in a pile, crying until they couldn’t force out another tear.

~

Over the next few days, the three of them kept close watch over the casualty counts, and the lists of names that seemed to grow by dozens every time they checked them. Armin very pointedly ignored it all. Did his best to put it out of his mind completely until they had a definite answer one way or another. The stress and suspense wouldn’t do him any good. Grisha brought him books from the library nearby, just distractions to help pass the time.

The day inevitably came. Eren was the one who found it. Scrolling through the day’s list on his phone. It had become habit. As time went on, he got more hopeful, stopped expecting to find their names. So when he did, it hit him like a pile of bricks. Knocked the air right out of his chest.

Armin didn’t cry that night. They held him anyway. He didn’t eat. They let him. It was his night.

A few days later, the city held a memorial service for the 206 lives lost in the storms. They also used this opportunity to distribute donated clothes and toiletries and the rest.

The school board spent the first week after the storm figuring out how to distribute all the displaced students between undamaged schools. Eren, Armin, and Mikasa were placed in Nathaniel T. Rose High School, a while north of their hotel. Until the bus routes were established, they had to make their own way there.

They would… figure it out.

~

Their first day of school was, obviously, a gloomy one. Anna Maria High School students arrived that morning under dark, overcast skies, dragged their feet as they walked through the double doors into unfamiliar halls. They avoided interacting with the Nathaniel Rose kids as much as possible, and the Nathaniel Rose kids tiptoed around them, entirely unsure of how to talk to them. So they each stayed in their own groups, segregated within the same walls.

Everything got worse when the storm started. Right before lunch, just like the first time. Every Anna Maria student watched the rain pounding against the windows and flinched at each roll of thunder. Some of them, like Armin, went completely silent and unresponsive, and near the end of the day, talk went around that a handful of Anna Maria kids were resting off panic attacks in the infirmary. Something hot curled inside Eren’s chest when the news reached him - Armin already had a history of that kind of thing, so he and Mikasa kept a close eye on him the rest of the day.

When the last period of the day finally arrived, a wave of relief washed over the entire remaining Anna Maria student body. They had never been more ready for the end of a school day.

Eren spent the last hour of the day in health class next to Armin, texting Mikasa in P.E. She said they were just laying around on the bleachers, listening to their coach ramble on about their P.E. uniforms - they had to order them through the school, apparently. Moneygrubbers.

Eren would still rather be there, though. He and Armin sat squeezed around a table with six other kids, listening to some coach-slash-health-teacher read about STDs from a severely outdated textbook. Eren didn’t even bother pretending to listen, but beside him, Armin was drinking everything in, staring daggers at the book in Coach Teacher’s hands, arms folded tightly over his chest, scowl deepening with every word. Eren nudged the back of his arm with an elbow.

“Armin,” he whispered, trying to pull his attention from the poor book to himself. No response. He nudged harder, with an emphatic, “ _Arlert!_ ”

Armin’s head snapped around to face Eren. His gaze only softened a little. He didn’t speak.

“Hey, are you okay?”

A burning light flashed in Armin’s eyes. Eren couldn’t remember ever seeing him so angry. “Are _you_ okay? Are you _okay_ with this?”

“O-okay with what? Armin, it’s just health cl--”

“It’s _just_ offensive and insensitive and demeaning, _that’s_ what it is.” He balled his hands into tight fists tucked into his crossed arms. “STDs. On our first fucking day - _STDs!_ ”

Eren was actually a little scared of the expression on his friend’s face. Flushed with rage, but he almost looked like he wanted to laugh.

Their exchange didn’t go unnoticed. Coach Teacher caught their eyes from the front of the room. “What’s going on back there, boys?” Neither of them answered. “You two are Anna Maria kids, right? If you have questions, please raise your hand and ask me, not each other. I don’t know how they did things over there, but at Nathaniel Rose, you’re expected to respect your teachers.”

That was clearly the last straw for Armin. His hand shot into the air like a bullet. “Yeah, I have a question - a few, actually.” He filled his lungs and dove in. “What’s the storm safety procedure at this school? What about fire safety? Or intruders? Are we going to have a storm drill this week? Ever?”

Coach Teacher’s ears were scarlet. He opened his mouth to respond, but Armin just wasn’t having any of that.

“Oh, no sir, I am not finished.” He fixed his icy glare directly into the depths of Coach Teacher’s eyes. “What about mental health? We’ve already had trouble with that, and it’s only the first day. Tell me, how _should_ we handle panic attacks? How can we prevent them? What are the symptoms of PTSD? What about depression? Do we have access to any resources at school to help us maintain our crumbling mental health?”

“That’s enough, son--”

“I’m not your son. I’m nobody’s son anymore.”

That one hit a few of the Anna Maria kids pretty hard. Eren included.

“If you have a problem with how I teach this class--”

“Oh, rest assured, I do.”

“-- then you can --”

“Shove it up your _ass_ , along with your bullshit abstinence-only sex education.” He was standing now, shoulders squared, chin high, and the nastiest expression he could muster plastered across his face. Eren could only watch, hardly breathing. “You think we can possibly focus on _fucking STDs_ right now? People _died_. Our friends and families and teachers. But no, you’re right, we don’t need to know about anything else, because we’re all just horny teenagers, thinking only with our genitals. There’s nothing more to us - just bags of meat filled to the brim with sex hormones. Not even worth the breath it’d take to explain to us which wall to hold our heads under _on the off chance_ that a tornado blows the roof off this place.”

Armin’s breath came hard, and Eren could practically see the adrenaline pulsing through his body. For a moment, everything was utterly silent. Then, Eren heard someone… clapping behind them. The room’s gaze shifted from Armin to the back of the room where a boy - an upperclassman by the look of him - leaned back in his chair, feet kicked up onto the table, and beamed at Armin. His cheers and applause cut through the heavy silence like butter. Several students, Eren included, turned to Coach Teacher to see how he’d react to all this. He smiled at the boy in the back, but there was no emotion behind it.

“Levi,” he said, his tone sarcastic and falsely fond. “I thought you’d been a little quiet today.”

“Only out of respect, Coach.” Levi grinned and played with the piercing in his tongue.

“Right. Well, Levi, I think you can be a big help to me right now.”

“How’s that?” Levi seemed to be enjoying this little game.

“This boy is new to the school, y’see, and you know your way around so well--”

“That’s true, sir. Observant, as always.”

“Why don’t you show him the disciplinary office? I’m sure he’ll be grateful for a guide.”

“You’re probably right, sir!” Levi swung his feet off the table and stood to grab his bag. Then he addressed Armin. “What’s your name, kid?”

“Ah- um, Armin Arlert.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Armin Arlert. I’m Levi Ackerman, and I’ll be your guide this afternoon.” He bowed with one arm stretched out to his side, then straightened and jerked his head toward the door. “Grab your shit and follow me.”

He obeyed, didn’t even glance back at Eren. Levi took two forms from Coach Teacher, then threw an arm around Armin’s shoulders. On their way out, Eren thought he heard Levi ask Armin in a low voice, “You any good at writing, kid?”

The class watched them until they turned out into the main hallway, then every single eye moved along the same track, landing on Coach Teacher simultaneously and stayed there. The Anna Maria students were especially attentive. Armin had asked all the right questions, and now they wanted answers. So they all watched expectantly as Coach Teacher closed the door, walked back to his desk, lifted the textbook, and began reading where he left off, as if nothing had happened. Eren heard scattered ” _are you kidding me_ ”s and “ _seriously_ ”s, and eyed the door. It was clear to them that they wouldn’t get anything out of him, and a handful of other kids fixed their eyes on the door, too. They _should_ walk out, they really should. But no one seemed to want to be the first one. Eren leaned toward the Nathaniel Rose kid beside him.

“Yo - where’s the disciplinary office?”

She met his eyes, and Eren could see the pity in hers. That pissed him off more than it probably should. She pulled her sleeves over her knuckles. “Turn left at the main hallway. There’s a little green door right before you get to the main office. It’ll have a sign over it.”

Eren thanked her then moved his gaze back to the classroom door. Somebody had to be first. May as well be him.

Coach Teacher was describing HPV when Eren pushed his chair back and stood. All the restless kids who wanted to walk out stared right at him. By the time he’d gathered his things and made it halfway across the room, a short girl with a cast on her arm had joined him. Then her friend who was helping her carry her books. A boy with crutches slung his backpack over his shoulders and lifted himself from his chair. Two others followed, and the rest stayed seated. Coach Teacher didn’t seem to care that they were leaving.

The six of them stopped just before turning into the main hall. Turned to each other, and memorized each of their faces.

The girl with the cast broke the silence with a single word. “Jane.”

Her friend brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and said, “Clara.”

The boy with the crutches went next. “Allen.”

“Jude.”

“Sadie.”

Then they all turned to face him, so he said, “Eren.”

Jane wiggled her fingers in her cast. “That guy - Armin, right? He’s your friend?”

Eren nodded.

“Is he-- he said he wasn’t anybody’s son.”

“His parents worked at the university.”

Jane’s face fell. It was the answer she was expecting.

“My mom, too,” Allen said, leaning heavily over his crutches. “We didn’t even know until a week later.”

Something squeezed Eren’s heart in his chest. “My mom was at home.”

They fell silent, looking anywhere but at each other. Eren rubbed the back of his neck and tapped the floor with the toe of his shoe. “So, uh, I’m gonna - go find Armin. See you guys around.”

“Yeah. And hey,” Jane said in a small voice. “Tell him thanks for us.”

“Sure thing.” Eren turned with a wave and headed down the hall toward the offices.

He found the disciplinary office easily. It wasn’t far and it was exactly as that girl had described it. Just before the main office, a sign over a green door. He pulled it open and stepped inside. The office was sparsely furnished - a desk and a few chairs with two doors, one on the side wall, and one in an inlet behind the desk. The woman sitting at the desk looked tired and cranky. She lifted her eyes from the papers in front of her with a heavy sigh.

“Another Maria kid?” She waved a hand toward the door behind her. “Just go on back, I’m sick of the paperwork.”

She didn’t have to tell Eren twice.

He pulled down the handle and pushed into the room. The light was a bit dimmer than the rest of the building - a couple of the lights in the ceiling didn’t seem to have bulbs. But the atmosphere in the room made up for it. It was almost - bright? It was the only place in the entire school where everyone seemed relaxed. Groups of three or four or five students sat in circles, lounging in the haphazard rows of desks. Chatting and flirting and - laughing. Groups made up of both Nathaniel Rose and Anna Maria kids, just hanging out. Something about it didn’t make sense, but just standing there, taking it all in, Eren already felt refreshed. Only one thing could make this better - Eren scanned the faces in the room, hoping, praying to see a smile on Armin’s face.

“Yo! Jeager!”

Eren turned instinctively toward the source of the noise. There was - oh - a couch in the far corner of the room, occupied by two boys. That Levi guy from Health, waving him over but not looking at him, and - Armin. Smiling. Laughing. Their feet were pressed together in between them, pushing against each other. They bicycled for a few turns, then Levi pushed with both feet, sending Armin’s knees into his chest.

“You lose again, blondie. This is getting pathetic.”

Armin sat up and dropped his feet back onto the couch cushion. “You’ve got two years and like a hundred pounds of thigh muscle on me, what were you expecting?” Armin’s bright laugh rang in Eren’s ears. God, he missed that sound.

Levi leaned back over the arm of the couch, propped up on his elbows. “I dunno, I figured it’d be some underdog victory or something, like David and Goliath.”

“And in that scenario, you’re… Goliath?”

“Obviously.”

Armin tossed his head back laughing, and Levi joined him with his quiet chuckle. Eren let out a few shaky laughs, too, forcing back tears of relief. He didn’t know how long Armin’s mood would last, but he wasn’t gonna cut it short because of his stupid emotions.

“How about you tap out then, and give Jeager a shot at it?”

Armin was equally happy with this option as any other. He leapt from the couch and grabbed Eren’s wrists. “Fight for my honor, Eren.”

Eren watched an amused grin spread across Levi’s face out of the corner of his eye, then gave Armin a very serious look. “I can take him. Easy.”

Armin grinned and made a satisfied sound, then led Eren to the couch and dropped to the floor in front of them, legs crossed. Eren plopped down on the couch and lifted his feet to meet Levi’s. Levi threw him an intense look between their knees then, before Eren could prepare himself, pushed one of Eren’s feet, sending his knee flying toward his face. He managed to get mostly out of the way. His knee grazed his jaw on it’s way into his shoulder.

“Hey, what the hell! You could’ve broken my nose!”

“It’s called strategy, Jeager. Get your head in the game!”

Eren fought hard for Armin’s honor, but ultimately, he couldn’t beat Levi even once. He had fun, though. And Armin had fun, and their faces hurt from laughing for the first time in what felt like a decade. He could hardly hate Levi for that.

When the bell rang for the end of the day, Eren watched Levi reach a hand up to ruffle Armin’s hair. They exchanged their goodbyes, and Levi said something along the lines of, “Think about my offer, okay?”

Then it was Eren’s turn. He was back to feeling sentimental again. He ran a hand through his hair and locked his gaze on a plant by the wall, rather than on Levi’s face. “Hey, so um, thanks,” he began awkwardly. “For uh, making him laugh again. I know it’s just a stupid game, but it means a lot. I just,” he felt tears forming in his eyes again - _shit, shit,_ “He really needed that, so. Thank you.”

“You both did, kid.” Levi patted his shoulder, then gave it a light squeeze. “I had fun, too. He’s pretty great, huh? I wanna keep him around.” Eren still couldn’t look at him. “You, too, if you feel like it.”

Eren just nodded. If he tried to speak, Levi would hear how thick his voice was - but even worse, Eren would hear it, and that’d probably let the floodgates loose.

“Hey - let’s get kicked out of Health together again.”

Eren couldn’t help but smile - almost let out a tiny laugh, too. “You guys got kicked. I just walked out.”

Levi’s eyes shot up into his hairline, then he burst into laughter. “You _walked out?_ ”

“Me and then five others.”

“I’ll bet Coach loved that.”

“Didn’t even blink.” Eren’s good mood was returning. How did this guy do that? “Just kept reading about genital warts.”

“Outstanding. He’s so dedicated.”

“It really shows!”

For a few seconds, neither of them spoke. Just rode out their last few chuckles. Then, “I really didn’t have you pegged as such a _troublemaker_ , Jeager. I'm impressed. Tell you what,” Levi leaned in no more than a centimeter, “I made Arlert an offer today, and I’m willing to bet he’ll tell you all about it later. You’re welcome to join him if you want.”

Eren’s eyebrows scrunched together in the middle. Was that as sketchy as it sounded? “Why don’t you just tell me, then?”

“Nah. I’ll let him do the honors!” Levi gave him one last clap on the arm before he turned to leave, then made a shaka over his shoulder. “Catch ya later.”

What decade did he think this was? Eren shook his head and joined Armin in leaning against the wall and scanned the room for Mikasa. As if they’d ever be able to find her in this crowd.

Armin tapped his knuckles against Eren’s shoulder. “That took a while!” he teased. Eren just rolled his eyes. “He is pretty cool though, huh? Y’know he’s president of the newspaper club?”

Eren snorted, but Armin looked like he was serious. “No kidding? I never would’ve guessed.”

“Same. He says he gets that a lot. Prefers it that way.” Armin made some fond noise and went on. “He offered me a spot. In the club, I mean. Says he likes my _spunk_ , or some weird shit like that.”

“Huh, so that’s what it was. I think he just invited me, too. I think.”

“Really?” Armin’s eyes lit up. “That’s great! You should join! I think I’m going to. It’ll be nice not to be cooped up in the hotel room all the time.”

“Well, when you put it like that, it’s pretty impossible to refuse. Ah - there she is.” Eren waved his arm in a giant arch over his head until he and Mikasa made eye contact, then relaxed back against the wall to wait. “We should ask about her, too.”

Armin just hummed and nodded, then Mikasa found them, and they hooked their elbows together to push their way toward the double doors.

The walk between the school and their hotel was a little long, so they spent the time telling Mikasa the events of the past hour, in great detail. It was pretty clear that her day didn’t end as well as theirs did, so they wanted to share some of their pick-me-up with her. About halfway back to the hotel, she even stopped dragging her feet.

And so, they made it through their first day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want Levi to have this weird quirk where he just... uses very outdated slang, and you can't tell if he's being serious or ironic. Because why the hell not? Also because sometimes I use very outdated slang, and I can't tell if I'm being serious or ironic. Yay


	4. [ANNOUNCEMENT]

Ooohhhhhh, this is a lot tougher for this one that it was for the others.

Guys. Guys. This is my fave of all my ongoing fics. I'm in mourning. Oh, man.

So, the deal: I'm quitting fanfic. I'm deep DEEP into an original project that I LOVE and I'm really not involved in fandom in general anymore. But. G U Y S

I love Winded so much. I had PLANS. Big plans!! Ugh. I have Notes Aplenty and half/most of the next chapter? I haven't looked at it in a while, but I know there was a lot of work still to be done on it.

So, uh, forgive my selfishness, but I badly want someone to take over this story. It's big and it's deep and I want to see it continue.

Ideally, there'll be a transition period where I'm still involved without restricting you too much, should you decide to take this on. I'll be much more protective of this fic than any of my others, and there are some Big Things that need to make it into the story in the future. I'm gonna be very selective about who I pass this one onto. I'm a bit worried that'll discourage people from asking to take it over? But I think it's a fair warning and also please forgive my chokehold on the thing lmao. I just love it, that's all <3

Figured this was the best way to get the word out AYYYYYYY

Anyway, if you somehow both interested and not scared off (or if you're interested in taking over any of my other fics), send me a message! @staplesfics on Tumblr!


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